William R. "Bobby" Rigdon of Lebanon was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with murder in the death of Wendall "Gleason" Pyles, who was shot and killed Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, while working at Tarter Gate Company in Dunnville.
According to a media release from KSP Post 15, Rigdon, 27, was arrested at 8:52 p.m., three miles north of Lebanon on St. Rose Road. He was arrested by Kentucky State Troopers and detectives from Post 15 along with KSP Special Response Team members and assisted by deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Department.
Rigdon was lodged in the Casey County Jail. His bond has been set at $1 million.
Pyles, 50, was working at Tarter Manufacturing in Dunnville when he was shot, according to The Casey County News.
Rigdon was the second person arrested in connection with Pyles' death.
On Oct. 3, detectives from Post 15 arrested David Salyers, 59, of Elk Horn and charged him with complicity to commit murder and he was lodged in the Taylor County Regional Jail.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 4, Post 15 detectives and troopers along with the Kentucky State Police Special Response Team executed a search warrant at Salyers' residence in rural Taylor County. Items seized during that search were expected to lead to more charges and additional arrests.The Central Kentucky News-Journal reported that Salyers and Pyles had an ongoing argument over a debt Pyles allegedly owed to Salyers, according to Salyers' arrest citation. The court records also indicated that Salyers told state troopers that he would not say what happened because “he was not a rat.”
However, later in the interview Salyers told the troopers that what happened to Pyles was not about quitting a motorcycle club, but it was over a debt that Pyles' owed. The court records state that Pyles and Salyers were members of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club.
Salyers also told the state troopers that he drove the man who shot Pyles to Tarter Gate Company in his truck, which was burned the night of the crime, the News-Journal reported.
Pyles' wife, Tina, said getting through the days after her husband's death have been difficult.
“It's hard, it's so hard. There's been so much that's bombarded me all at once,” said told The Casey County News.
She added that he deeply loved his five children and would give the shirt off his back and do anything to help someone.
“He was a great provider and fun to be around,” Tina Pyles told The Casey County News. “And he also loved his two Harley Davidson motorcycles.”
Anyone with information about this or any other crime is asked to call the Kentucky State Police at (800) 222-5555.Editor's note: The original announcement from the state police identified the wrong person as the person who was arrested.
This story includes information reported by the Central Kentucky News-Journal and The Casey County News.